How to Market a Restaurant Opening in London: 90 Days

Opening a new restaurant in London is exciting, but the city is competitive. There are over 15,000 restaurants in Greater London, and many close within their first year. A strong marketing plan before and after launch can make the real difference between a buzzing first month and empty tables.

This guide gives you a practical, 90-day marketing plan to build awareness, drive bookings and create lasting word of mouth. Whether you are opening a neighbourhood bistro in Peckham or a cocktail bar-restaurant in Fitzrovia, the steps below will help you hit the ground running.

Why 90 Days Matters

The 90-day window breaks into three clear phases: build, launch and grow. Each phase has a different goal. Build is about creating foundations. Launch is about generating noise. Grow is about turning first-time guests into regulars. Skipping phases or compressing the timeline is the most common mistake new restaurateurs make.

Days 1 to 30: Build Your Foundations

Set Up Your Digital Presence

Before you spend a penny on advertising, get your basics right. Register your restaurant on Google Business Profile and fill in every field: address, opening hours, phone number, website and category. This is free and essential for local search. A complete profile can appear in the Google Maps pack when someone searches "restaurants near me" in your area.

Build a simple website with your menu, story, location and a booking link. Platforms like Squarespace or Wix cost around £12 to £20 per month. If you want something more polished, a freelance web designer in London typically charges £800 to £2,500 for a small hospitality site.

Build Your Social Media Accounts

Create Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages now, even before you open. Post behind-the-scenes content: kitchen fit-outs, menu tastings, team introductions. This builds an audience before your doors open. Aim for three to five posts per week. Use London-specific hashtags such as #LondonEats, #LondonFoodie and your neighbourhood name.

Short video content performs particularly well right now. A 15-second clip of a dish being plated or a cocktail being poured can reach thousands of people organically. You do not need expensive equipment; a modern smartphone is enough.

Start an Email List Early

Add a simple sign-up form to your website with a promise of early access or first-to-know updates about your opening. Collect emails from everyone you know, suppliers and anyone who enquires. Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp offer a free tier up to 500 contacts. This list will be valuable on launch day and beyond.

Days 31 to 60: Create Momentum Before Launch

Work With Local Food Influencers

London has a thriving community of food content creators. Mid-tier influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers) often charge between £150 and £600 per post, though many will attend a hosted tasting in exchange for content. Focus on creators who cover your specific area or cuisine type. A Hackney-based brunch spot, for example, benefits more from a creator who covers East London than a national food blogger.

Invite five to ten relevant creators to a soft-launch dinner two weeks before opening. Ask them to share content on the day or in the days that follow. Do not script what they say. Authentic content always outperforms forced endorsements.

Run Targeted Paid Social Ads

Start your paid advertising around four weeks before opening. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads let you target people within a specific radius of your postcode. A budget of £300 to £600 for a four-week pre-launch campaign is realistic for most independent restaurants. Use video content from your influencer evening or your own behind-the-scenes clips.

Our London restaurant and hospitality marketing services cover everything from paid social strategy to content creation, if you would prefer to hand this off to specialists.

Build Local PR

Send a press release to local news sites, food blogs and neighbourhood Facebook groups. Mention your concept, your chef's background, your opening date and what makes you different. Hyperlocal sites like Timeout London, Hot Dinners and local borough newsletters are worth targeting. This costs nothing but your time.

Set Up a Booking System

Use a system like OpenTable, ResDiary or Resy. Most charge a monthly fee between £50 and £200. Enable online bookings on your Google profile and website. The easier it is to book, the more bookings you will get.

Days 61 to 90: Launch and Grow

Make Launch Week Count

Launch week should feel like an event. Host a press and friends night on day one, a soft open for locals mid-week, and a full open by the weekend. Post daily on social media. Send your email list an opening message with a direct link to book a table.

Ask every happy guest to leave a Google review. The best way to do this is simply to ask in person or include a card at the table with a QR code linking to your review page. Never offer a reward for a review or ask only certain guests to leave one. Just make it easy for anyone who wants to share their experience.

Reviews build your local search ranking and your reputation. A restaurant in Islington that opened recently went from zero to 80 Google reviews in its first six weeks, simply by training staff to mention it naturally at the end of a meal.

Keep Posting and Testing

Track what content performs best in your first month. Double down on formats and topics that get saves and shares, not just likes. Stories and Reels showing the team, the food and the atmosphere tend to do well. Consistency beats perfection: three good posts a week beats one polished post a month.

Start a Loyalty Strategy

Email is your most powerful owned channel. Send a welcome email to anyone who books, a follow-up after their visit and a monthly newsletter with news, specials and events. This keeps your restaurant top of mind and encourages repeat visits. A simple sequence in Mailchimp or Klaviyo takes a few hours to set up and runs automatically.

Monitor and Adjust

Use Google Analytics on your website and the insights dashboards on each social platform. Look at which posts drive the most website visits and which ads generate the most bookings. Review these weekly for the first 90 days and adjust your budget and content accordingly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a new London restaurant budget for marketing?

A realistic starting budget is £1,500 to £3,000 for the first 90 days, covering ads, influencer hosting, a booking system and basic content. Some restaurants spend more, but you can achieve strong results with a focused plan even at the lower end.

When should I start marketing before opening?

Start at least 60 days before your opening date. This gives you time to build an audience, run pre-launch ads and generate press interest before your doors open.

Do I need a marketing agency to do this?

Not necessarily. Many of these steps are achievable in-house if you have time and a basic understanding of social media. However, a specialist agency can save you time, avoid costly mistakes and get better results from your ad spend, especially in a competitive city like London.

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Conclusion

A 90-day restaurant marketing plan is not about doing everything at once. It is about doing the right things in the right order. Build your foundations first, create momentum before launch, then focus on turning visitors into loyal regulars.

If you would like expert help putting this into practice, get a free proposal from Byter Digital and we will build a plan around your restaurant, your neighbourhood and your goals.